


It Just Figures

by elvirakitties



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, F/F, F/M, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Hermione Granger Bashing, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley Bashing, Ron Weasley Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2019-10-15 20:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17535809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elvirakitties/pseuds/elvirakitties
Summary: What if marriage was based on your Patronus?(will be changing people's Patronus)





	1. Chapter 1

They were going to be leaving in a few days for the summer holiday. Harry had expected to get his usual lecture about remaining at the Dursleys. He wasn't going to but he knew Dumbledore expected him too. Harry wasn't expecting this development. Harry was still staring at Dumbledore. He was trying to think about what the man was trying to do now. He knew Dumbledore had some crazy scheme he was going to pull. "You want to know my Patronus?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Harry watched Dumbledore play with his beard as he sucked on a lemon drop. Harry lost count of the number of times he wished Dumbledore would choke on one of the lemon drops. He also lost count of the number of times he wished he could strangle Dumbledore with his own beard.

"Voldemort was able to get a ritual returned. Every student who is seventeen on the first of September will have to be married. All single wizards and witches will also have to participate. It's an old ritual that involves using the Patronus Charm. The ones with the male and female of a species will have to marry or bond. The one with the male will be listed as the husband, the female will be listed as the wife."

Harry arched his brows. He immediately thought of Ron and Hermione, they certainly wouldn't be getting married. He knew Ginny wasn't his match and let out a mental sigh of relief. He also knew Dumbledore was going to be surprised by their Patronus. If Dumbledore really thought this was going to work out as he hoped, he better start working on his youngest future Order members Patronus. "I see. When is the ceremony?"

"Hogwarts will be in session on the 31st of August with the ceremony on the 1st. I really need to know your Patronus as we need to make sure you are protected."

"No. I won't be revealing it." Harry knew the real reason. Dumbledore could force a person to have their Patronus changed. Harry had read about how a magically strong wizard like Dumbledore could influence and force a change of weaker wizard with enough exposure to the weaker one as they cast the spell. Harry had kept his hidden for the last few years and he wasn't going to expose it now. Harry let out a mental laugh as he thought about his friends' Patronus.

"Harry, you must be protected."

"I will be." Harry had heard about marrying Ginny. The Weasley family, Hermione, and most of the Order wanted it to happen. How they would be just like his parents. How James had married a red-head. How James and Lily were the perfect couple. He heard from Sirius how much Ginny reminded him of Lily. Harry had wanted to be sick as he hoped his mother wasn't like Ginny. He did acknowledge that Sirius had been confusing him and his father so Harry hoped he had confused Ginny with his mother. He knew there was one reason no one ever mentioned. They wanted access to Harry's money. Dumbledore needed funds for the war. Ginny was also talking about how it would be nice not to be so poor while her brother would mention fame and Harry. Hermione was all about using his money to promote her views and what she wanted. 

"Harry, this is important. Voldemort had this passed for a reason."

Dumbledore used Voldemort to get his way as well as the greater good line when people objected to his ideas. Dumbledore always seemed to forget that Harry had a connection to Voldemort when he wanted Harry to do something. If Voldemort really got this law passed, Voldemort's happiness would have leaked through the link. Contrary to what Snape and Dumbledore believed, Harry had tried. He also researched Horcruxes. Since he was the only living Horcrux and the Horcrux was in his brain, he came to the conclusion there really wasn't a way for him to completely block Voldemort. "No. I'm not going to reveal it."

"My boy, you could be in danger."

Danger from you and your Order. He had one year left to finish Hogwarts. He already started working on his escape route for when he was done with Hogwarts. Dumbledore didn't know that Harry had retaken his OWLs and taken OWLs for courses that Hogwarts didn't have. He was already accepted at the Italian University of Magical Beings. "I will be at Hogwarts. I will be fine. After all, isn't it the safest place?" Harry tuned out Dumbledore after that.

_______________________________________________________

Harry resisted rolling his eyes as Hermione was lecturing the whole common room about the Patronus Charm. Ron had opened his mouth and announced the marriage ritual when they returned. This was after Hermione had given Harry a lecture on not obeying Dumbledore and revealing his Patronus. 

"It's the most famous and famously difficult defensive charm. The aim is to produce a silvery-white guardian or protector which takes the form of an animal. The exact form of the Patronus will not be apparent until the spell has been successfully cast. One of the most powerful defensive charms known to wizardkind, the Patronus can also be used as a messenger between wizards. As a pure, protective magical concentration of happiness and hope. It's the recollection of a single talisman memory is essential in its creation. It is the only spell effective against Dementors. The majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce Patronuses and to do so is generally considered a mark of superior magical ability."

"So we all have to do this?" Mitchell, a fifth-year, looked a bit confused.

"Oh, no. Some witches and wizards may manage an uncorporeal Patronus which resembles a mass or wisp of silvery vapour or smoke. In some cases, a witch or wizard may choose to produce an incorporeal Patronus deliberately if he or she wishes to disguise the form it generally takes. Professor Lupin, for instance, is afraid that his corporeal Patronus gives too much away so he doesn't allow his to fully develop. The incorporeal Patronus is not a true Patronus and while it will give limited protection it cannot provide the defensive power of the corporeal Patronus which has the form and substance of an animal."

"Who?" One of the first years looked around. They hadn't heard of Lupin.

"He was here during our third year. He taught DADA." Ron had a bit of smugness about it. "He's Harry's adopted godfather."

Harry didn't even speak. He just shrugged his shoulders and ignored everyone as Hermione started speaking again and would have overridden anything he might have attempted to say. He had wondered when he started to allow them to speak for him. He had tried to remember when it started but he really couldn't remember a time when they didn't. 

"The Patronus Charm is one of the most ancient of charms and appears in many accounts of early magic. In spite of a long association with those fighting for lofty or noble causes. Those able to produce corporeal Patronuses were often elected to high office within the Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic. Thankfully, that policy is not true any longer."

Harry wondered where Hermione got that idea. 

"Also, it is a great way to tell if someone is dark. They can't produce on." Ron knowingly added. "Dumbledore even said so."

Hermione lowered the book she had been reading from. "It's Headmaster Dumbledore, Ron. How many times must I tell you that you need to respect the Headmaster." Hermione returned to the book not seeing most of the room were rolling their eyes. "No reliable system for predicting the form of an individual’s Patronus has ever been found. Although the great eighteenth-century researcher of Charms, Professor Catullus Spangle, set forth certain principles that are widely accepted as true. The Patronus, asserted Spangle, represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality. For it is evident that a human confronted with inhuman evil, such as the Dementor, must draw upon resources he or she may never have needed and the Patronus is the awakened secret self that lies dormant until needed but which must now be brought to light."

"What book?" Parvati Patil asked. 

Harry looked at her. She stared at him with a smirk. Harry winked. He knew it was Padma. 

Hermione looked at her stack of books but didn't see the title she was looking for. "In the footnotes here it says Charms of Defence and Deterrence."

"Thank you." Parvati wrote the title down.

Harry tuned out the rest of Hermione's reading out loud. He knew she picked that book for a reason. He also knew what they believed about dark wizards was false. While there was widespread and in some cases, justified, belief that a wizard who was not pure of heart could not produce a successful Patronus many of questionable morals did so. Harry shuddered a bit as he remembered Umbridge produced a cat Patronus to protect herself from the Dementors. What Hermione and Dumbledore never realized is that many who work with dark creatures become desensitized to the effects of the Dark creatures with whom they may ally themselves and simply regard the Patronus Charm as an unnecessary spell to have in their arsenal. Harry wouldn't have had him as well as most of those at Hogwarts if he hadn't been for his third year.

Harry also knew that the form of a Patronus may change during the course of a witch or wizard’s life. Instances have been known of the form of the Patronus transforming due to bereavement, falling in love, or profound shifts in a person’s character. Nymphadora Tonks’s Patronus changed from a jackrabbit to a wolf when she fell in love with Remus Lupin. Some witches and wizards may be unable to produce a Patronus at all until they have undergone some kind of psychic shock. Harry had a feeling Dumbledore was going to be working hard over the summer holiday to make sure he got the people he wanted to be joined in marriage had the correct pairing. 

"Harry." Hermione punched him. "Are you listening? I was talking about the different animals the charm could take. The book says it is usual but not inevitable, for a Patronus to take the form of an animal commonly found in the caster’s native country. Given their long affinity with humans it is perhaps unsurprising that among the most common Patronuses, although it must be remembered that any corporeal Patronus is highly unusual, are dogs, cats, and horses. However, every Patronus is as unique as its creator and even identical twins have been known to produce very different Patronuses. Mine is a grey cat. What is yours' Harry?" 

"I'm not telling." 

"You know it's a horse just like mine." Ginny put her hand on Harry's leg. 

Harry removed her hand. "I'm not saying." 

Hermione ignored him. "It's not a big deal. It's not like everyone will be spreading it around and everyone will know when we return and the ritual occurs."

"I'm not saying." 

"Fine." Hermione huffed. 

"Can a Patronus be a dragon? I would love for mine to be a dragon." Dennis announced.

"Extinct Patronuses are very rare but not unknown." Hermione looked down at the book. "It says that strangely, given their long connection with wizardkind, owl Patronuses are unusual. Most uncommon of all possible Patronuses are magical creatures such as dragons, Thestrals, and phoenixes. Never forget, though, that one of the most famous Patronuses of all time was a lowly mouse. It belonged to a legendary young wizard called Illyius, who used it to hold off an attack from an army of Dementors single-handedly. While a rare and magical Patronus undoubtedly reflects an unusual personality, it does not follow that it is more powerful or will enjoy greater success at defending its caster."

"A mouse?" Ron started laughing. "I thought Pettigrew's was bad with him being a rat."

Harry got up. "I'm heading to the library. I want to get started on my summer holiday assignments." He didn't give them a chance to respond.

________________________________________________

"Potter, my office, now." 

Harry wasn't surprised to hear Snape's voice. He wasn't sure what was wrong but he followed Snape to his office. Snape sat down behind his desk. "The headmaster has informed me you refused to provide him with your Patronus." 

"Yes, sir." Harry hadn't sat down. 

Snape leaned back in his chair as if assessing him. Harry wasn't sure what was occurring but he arched a brow. 

"I also learned something interesting that the Headmaster doesn't seem to be aware of." Snape gave an evil smirk. "Someone retook their OWLs and it wasn't just for those in Hogwarts."

"I see." Harry wasn't sure where this was going. They stared at each other for several seconds. Snape pulled out his wand and Harry felt privacy wards. "Privacy wards."

"Yes. What I'm about to say won't be leaving this room." Snape opened his top desk drawer. "I'm aware that the Headmaster informed you that the Dark Lord was behind this marriage ritual and what it means." Harry didn't scoff but his face must have shown something. "Potter, I'm not sure what exactly happened but I did notice the changes over the last few years." He laid a scroll down. "I'm also aware of what your Patronus is because of our sessions." 

"I'm aware." Harry had remembered when during their remedial potions lessons Snape broke into his mind and saw his Patronus. 

Snape pulled out his wand. "Expecto Patronum." Harry knew his face showed his shock. "I believe we have something to discuss."

"I'll say." Harry looked at the school. "Is he aware of this?" 

"No. I'm sure he will attempt to create a contract for us when he learns. I know you are legally an adult and can sign a marriage contract." Snape pointed to a chair. "Sit."

Harry sat down. "I'm not sure how you know this but I know you are correct." 

Snape handed him the scroll. "It's a basic marriage agreement. Including is the dating schedule during the engagement."

Harry opened the scroll. He read a bit and saw some of the clauses and rules. He looked at Snape's desk, grabbed a quill, and started changing things. Snape didn't look happy as he wrote but he ignored him. He handed the scroll back to Snape. Harry watched Snape read his corrections. They did it back and forth until they had what they both wanted. 

________________________________________________________________________

Harry left Hogwarts. He meant his family at the station. No one spoke as Uncle Vernon drove. Vernon stopped at Acton Old Town Hall. Harry got out but before he moved away, the window was rolled down. "Be here on the 31st at 8 AM. I won't wait a minute beyond that." 

"I'm aware." Harry had already given the man half of the money for the ride. Harry headed to the closest bus station. Neville and Lady Longbottom were waiting for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Neville and Harry were sitting in Neville's room. Luna had just left. They were talking about what was going to happen when they returned the next day to Hogwarts. "Nervous?" 

Harry looked at Neville. "A bit. Dumbledore is going to freak out. He doesn't know that Severus and I have been dating and following the rules regarding courtships by pure-bloods." 

Neville smiled. "Ginny has been asking Luna where she has been going every day. She wanted to come today but Luna told her we were going to spend the day planting flowers. Luna went on about flowers and plants until Ginny went back home." 

Harry liked Luna. She was surprisingly insightful and always go her way while making a person believe it was their idea. "Do you think Dumbledore will accept you and Luna getting married?" 

"Yes, my grandmother already wrote up the marriage contract. She is going to officially file it tomorrow after she takes me to the train. She said she will apparate you to meet your uncle about ten minutes before 8. She wants to stay and make sure he picks you up." Neville had already finished his courtship but it just a simple one that required Lady Longbottom to be their chaperone during their dates.

Harry had enjoyed spending his summer with Neville and his grandmother. Lady Longbottom taught him a lot about pure-bloods rituals especially the rituals for courting Severus. There were some really complex rituals and some very simple ones. All of them had weird ideas and Severus had specified one specific ritual. Lady Longbottom had provided the books on the ritual and Neville had helped him find the right piece of wood. 

_____________Flashback_________________

"He wants that ritual?" Neville looked at the stack of books that Harry was reading. 

"Yes and regular dates too." Harry was the one who actually wanted the real dates. He wanted Severus to get to know him and not confuse him with his father and the Marauders. On the first night after they left Hogwarts, Harry had written out a dating outline for Severus to review. It had felt weird calling Snape Severus but he did it. He sent the outline to Severus who mailed it back three days later with the changes he wanted. They spent the next week working on the outline before they each agreed on it. 

Next came the selections of rituals. Harry researched a few different ones and submitted them all to Severus for him to review. Severus selected The Welsh Love Spoon. Harry had spent a few days researching the ritual. Harry learned that when the Welsh said spooning they didn't mean cuddling. The love spoons started as early as the 17th century. The Welsh exchanged intricately hand-carved wooden spoons as a sign of romantic intentions. Young men spent hours meticulously crafting their spoons to offer the most magnificent utensil imaginable. If the girl or in this case a guy, accepted, then the courtship was one. 

Harry would need to spend hours carving wooden spoons with ornate designs and symbolic messages. A spoon with an anchor carving would mean the giver was ready to settle down. A vine would mean their love was growing. The spoon itself represented a desire to provide for a romantic partner. Harry had taken something from each date and added a small design into the spoon. It was a slow process and he was thankful for magic because otherwise, he would have never been able to get the spoon done. 

A young man would let his love interest know his intentions by giving a meaningful spoon. The spoons were ornamental and considered much too special to use. Popular young ladies or men would often display rows of beautifully crafted spoons on their walls to boast of their romantic conquests. He hoped Severus didn't have any spoons and he would only have to craft one. 

Today, the Welsh daters exchanged lovespoons to commemorate an engagement, anniversary, birthday, baptism, or another special event for the couple. There had been a revival of the custom over the last 40 or so years. Many people today make lovespoons on a commercial basis for customers to utilize for the commemoration of special events in their lives or in the lives of their loved ones. Harry knew he could have had obtained a commercial one but he didn't want to do that. He wanted to make a special one. Yes, they were to be married because of the ritual about Patronus but it didn't mean they couldn't have a meaningful relationship. 

____________________________________________

"Neville, I'm going to need your help to find the correct piece of wood."

Harry had been trying to find what type of wood to use and couldn't find the right one. He had read about a variety of ones that would fit but only if the three could be merged. He had his first date with Severus the previous night. He had taken Severus out to a nice quiet outdoor restaurant. They really didn't speak for almost thirty minutes before Harry sighed. Harry didn't want to do the small talk route so he proposed a question game. It worked. They spent the next few dates doing the game. They didn't talk about anything in-depth until their seventh date when the questions turned personal. 

Severus had asked about his relatives. Harry froze when Severus asked the question. Severus never took his eye off of Harry before asking if the images he saw when he was training Harry in Occlumency. Harry still didn't answer. Severus leaned back in his chair and just looked at Harry. "I see. I can relate. However, here isn't the time or place to discuss such issues." 

Harry had agreed. They didn't discuss their pasts until last week and only because they wanted to have things covered if Dumbledore stated asking questions about their relationship and attempted to drag anyone in to question them to prevent the marriage by using the Ministry. Severus wasn't happy to learn the truth of the matter regarding Harry's home life and agreed he wouldn't provide Dumbledore with Harry's current location. 

Neville was looking through the list of trees that Hary had. "You know, there is a spell that can merge saplings into one tree then some instant grow and your tree will be ready in a few days."

"You are amazing. Let's pick the trees." Harry took a lot of time but he found the ones that he thought were perfect. He selected three he believed would be perfect. He showed Neville the list of trees he selected. 

Neville looked at the three trees. He didn't say anything to Harry about his selection as he had seen his grandmother giving Harry the book on what the different trees meant. Harry had chosen three very good woods. He selected Cherry, Maple, and Juniper. After watching Harry and reading about the different rituals he had decided he was going to make a Lovespoon for his and Luna's wedding. 

Cherry teaches the lesson of clearing the pain of the heart and relating to others in a compassionate manner. Neville thought that fit Harry and Severus. They needed to clear their paths of pain to the heart and while Harry was compassionate in some ways, Severus needed those lessons.

Maple also fit the two of them as it was somewhat rebellious and tough. It holds the qualities of creation, communication, binding, revolution, rebirth, healing, beauty, art, and abundance. Full of imagination and originality. Maple is a traveler's wood. Those who are always on the move and changing will feel right at home with this type of energy. It enhances intellectual pursuits and learning. Harry and Severus were somewhat rebellious and tough. 

It was the last wood that Neville knew was going to main wood as it one that fit the two of them now and one that was for their future. Juniper Heart Wood which is simply the heartwood of the juniper tree holds powers of protection, strength, healing, health, peace, and love. Juniper is connected to good health and banishing anything injurious to health. Juniper is associated with Jupiter and the element of fire. Juniper is a symbol of longevity. In the language of flowers, Juniper symbolizes perfect loveliness. In Ireland, the Juniper is called Iubhar Creige which means Yew of the rocks. The fine-grained, pinkish red to brownish red heartwood that is fragrant, very light and very durable, even in contact with soil. 

Once Harry had the woods he needed, Neville showed him how to do the grafting of the three saplings. They soaked it overnight in the solution of instant-grow. The new wood had to remain in the greenhouse to dry out and bond after the instant-grow. So the project had taken a week for the tree to be ready for Harry to start carving out the spoon. Thankfully, the ritual books had several different spells. Harry had used the week to practice his carving. 

______________________________________________End Flashback_______________________

"You know Weasley and Granger are going to be major pains about the whole mess." 

"Yes, I know." Harry wasn't looking forward to his last year at Hogwarts. He had hoped that he could have kept everything hidden for the year and get out of the country before Dumbledore discovered that Harry wasn't as stupid or ignorant as he thought Harry was. He wasn't sure if Dumbledore knew he retook his OWLs or not. Harry had used what Umbridge did as a way of retaking the exams. He wouldn't have known about it if it hadn't been for Neville. 

Neville had become friends with Harry during their fourth year when again, Weasley had dumped him as a friend, again. They kept things quiet about their friendship after Granger commented to Neville about how Harry would dump him as soon as Weasley forgave him. When Harry asked why she would think that, Neville explained how Weasley basically made sure no one else would be Harry's friend. They weren't too worried as no one really noticed that Harry was still friends with Neville, Dean, or Seamus. 

Weasley and Granger were usually off working on their relationship and Ginny was off with some date hoping to make Harry jealous. Harry never noticed she was gone and she would get upset when she would mention what a great time she had during her date. Harry always smiled, said great, and would watch as she stormed off. He wasn't aware she wanted him to date her until Granger and Weasley started hinting around and when the hints didn't work, flat out telling Harry to ask Ginny out. 

They heard a knock on Neville's bedroom door before it was opened by Lady Longbottom. "Don't stay up too late, we have to make sure to have Harry on time to meet his uncle."

"We won't Gram."

"We promise to be ready to leave on time, Lady Longbottom." Harry smiled at her. This was the second summer he had spent with the family and he was really grateful for all that Lady Longbottom had done for him. Harry even had the rest of Vernon's money. He didn't want to take a chance that Vernon would do something stupid like report him to Dumbledore. Vernon was all about the money. 

"Excellent." Lady Longbottom closed the door and headed to her own bedroom suite. 

Neville looked at the clock. It was almost ten at night. "We should head to bed soon. I will set the alarm for six."

"Yes, we wouldn't want to miss Vernon. He would most likely come early, expect me to be there, leave, and then demanded the funds for arriving there."

"Figures." Neville knew the truth about Harry's relatives. He appreciated his grandmother all the more even if the woman scared him in the earlier years of his life.


	3. Chapter 3

Lady Longbottom glared at Vernon as he was yelling at Harry about good for nothing freaks. Harry just ignored him as he bid Neville and Luna goodbye. Vernon held out his hand for the funds from Harry. Lady Longbottom put the notes into the man's hand. "I do hope we never have the pleasure of meeting again." Lady Longbottom waited until Harry was in the car and Vernon started to drive away before she cast her spell. 

"Gram, what did you do?" 

"Why, Neville, nothing that you wouldn't have done." Lady Longbottom winked at Luna. 

"Don't worry, Harry is safe. The money won't turn into bird poop until after Harry is safe on the train." Luna had added her own little spell to Vernon while no one was looking. Vernon would be feeling all the pain he gave Harry over the years for the next few years.

___________________________________________________________________

Harry saw Granger, Weasley, and his sister waiting by the clock for him. He stopped and waited for a big group of people heading to the platform. He joined them until he got to platform 9 3/4. The group was heading toward platform 10. Harry went through the barrier and joined Neville and Luna who were standing with Dean, Seamus, Lavender, and the Patil twins. 

"I see you were able to avoid them." Dean was staring at the barrier to make sure the annoyances didn't step through. 

"Yes. They were waiting for me by the clock. I didn't see Mrs. Weasley but she was around, I'm sure."

"She was. I saw her heading to the ladies room. I only arrived here about five minutes ago." Lavender had been traveling all summer. "We just arrived home this morning. I was able to visit all the different magical bookstore, so we will have a lot of materials to review."

"Us too. We went home to India and visited different stores. I had to buy a bigger trunk for my library." Parvati pulled out a shrunken trunk. The trunk was finished in Ravenclaw colors.

"We found some that only Harry can read. I have them in my trunk." Padma held up her own shrunken trunk. It was finished in Gryffindor colors. 

"You two are worse than George and Fred. Has anyone realized you two have switched houses?" Harry thought they belonged in Ravenclaw but wanted different houses just to enjoy confusing people.

"What? I got it wrong again?" Seamus pulled Dean to stand by Padma. "Stand by your girlfriend so I won't get them confused."

"I thought I was." Dean looked at Padma, who just smiled brightly.

"Don't worry, I would have stopped you before you tried to kiss me." Parvati watched Dean's face turn red causing a few laughs. 

"We better get on the train. I want us to find a compartment and not have to worry about the annoyances joining us." Lavender wanted to actually take a nap. She had a feeling she wasn't the only one either.

________________________________________________________________________

The group found a compartment and settled in. "Harry, did you find out why you aren't the captain of the team or even a prefect any longer? I heard Weasley bragging in Diagon Alley." 

"Yes, Granger wrote to me with a letter enclosed by Dumbledore. They didn't want me to be overtired since I'm marrying Ginny, school work, and training." 

Everyone started laughing. "Ginny?" Seamus wiped a tear from his eyes. "Wasn't she dating Michael Smith?"

"Yes as well as a few others." The girls added.

"Well, we won't be winning the house cup this year." Dean glanced at Neville. "You know Weasley is going to be puffed up with his own importance."

"He will as well as believing he will be Harry's brother-in-law. Tomorrow, we do the ceremony. I'm a bit nervous. I'm not sure who I will be getting." Parvati looked at her twin. "Neither of us are." The train ride passed quickly as the group discussed the different possibilities and even had a few wagers going on the results.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Harry was ready to strangle Granger as she kept on lecturing him throughout the whole meal on what he needed to get done. How he was going to have to prepare for proposing to Ginny. "We even got your mother's engagement ring out."

Harry slowly lifted his head and those who truly knew Harry recognized the signs of his anger. "You what?"

"Yes, we got the ring out of your vault." Granger slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized what she said. 

"Let me get this correct. You went into my family vault, removed my mother's ring, and you have it?" Harry could see Weasley and his sister shift uncomfortably in their seats. Since there wasn't any yelling and only those close to where Harry and the annoyances were sitting could hear what was going on. However, the silence around them grew when Harry was talking.

Granger swallowed. "Yes. You need the ring and you couldn't get it."

"Who, Granger, gave you, Weasley, and his sister permission to enter into any of my vaults?" Harry didn't miss the flinch from Weasley and his sister. 

"The Headmaster said we should remove it." Granger heard her admittance spread from student to student. All of them shocked. 

"What else have you removed or taken? Do not lie to me because if I find out after this, I will make sure to press charges to the fullest extent of the law." 

"What is the big deal? It's going to be Ginny's anyways. The same with the funds. It's not like you would want us to do without." Weasley stuffed food into his mouth. 

"Granger!" Harry's word was filled with power. The students all felt the magic as it caressed their skin.

"Books, money, and the ring." Guilt swept through Granger. She knew what she had done was wrong but there were just so many books.

"For how long?" Granger didn't answer right away. "GRANGER!"

"Since before we started here. You have been paying the tuition for Ron and his sister as well as their supplies. I have been using your books and reading the family grimoire. Ginny and Ron have taken some jewelry and other things out. Mrs. Weasley picked out some clothes for herself as well as some china and silverware. Dumbledore has been using your funds to pay the expenses for the Old Crowd." Granger tried to stop speaking but the truth kept pouring out of her as everyone was now listening. "The ritual is one that Dumbledore pushed through the Wizenagamot session as a way to keep you tied to him. He was afraid that since you are legally an adult and have been since our fourth year that any marriage contract would be voided and might be judged by magic. I was the one who found the ritual. I suggested it to him as I knew you couldn't back out of it and you would face Voldemort. Once you die, we will be famous."

Gasps were heard around the room. Harry turned his eyes up to the Head Table. Dumbledore pulled out his wand to do a memory charm but Harry was quicker and summoned the wand to him. It went flying straight into Harry's hand and everyone watched as a golden color engulfed Harry. Harry's magic welcomed the merge of powers and everyone watched as Harry screamed out in pain as the blocks and binds broke on him. A rainbow of colors was shooting out of Harry. When it was finished, Harry was still standing, causing some surprise. He was taller but only by a few centimeters. His shoulders were also a bit broader and he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall, may I ask that you join me as I go and visit Gringotts?"

"Harry, you just can't leave. We need to discuss this." Dumbledore was smiling. "It is only a slight misunderstanding."

Harry didn't even respond but turned and headed out of the Great Hall. Severus watched Harry leave and was thankful Harry wasn't upset with him. Dumbledore was going to regret playing his games with Harry. "Minerva?" 

"I'll join you at the apparition spot. I have a few words for Albus. Filius, could you please make sure all the students return to their houses once they are finished eating." McGonagall hadn't taken her eyes off of Dumbledore. 

"Certainly." 

"Albus, let's take a walk to your office." McGonagall walked down to the annoying trio. "You three will follow us." She broke up the mini fight the three had been having with her arrival. 

Once they were out of the Great Hall, Dumbledore tried to calm McGonagall down. "Minerva, I assure you it's a slight misunderstanding." 

"No, it isn't. The three of you better develop a course of action on repaying the funds you owe. It will include your tuition, supplies, and anything else you might have used Harry's funds for. You will gather up all of the Potter family items and you will deliver them to me tomorrow morning. If you don't have them with you, you will write out what is missing. I will be getting a complete listing from Gringotts. I would recommend you start now." McGonagall's lips pressed together.

"It will be fine, do what she says." Dumbledore waited until he was alone with McGonagall. "Minerva, it will be Ginny's after tomorrow. There is no reason to worry."

"Albus, of all the things you have done over the decades, what makes you believe that stealing from Harry will be fine? You do not know if he will marry Ginny. Even if they do, it's still his money, his families items. You will get in touch with Arthur and get all of the items returned. I will work on making sure Harry doesn't press charges, even though he should." McGonagall arched a brow when Dumbledore went to speak. "No, Albus, there is no reason or excuse good enough for what you have done." McGonagall walked out of the front doors of Hogwarts muttering in Gaelic. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

What Severus and Harry were doing while waiting for McGonagall.

"Harry?" Severus wasn't surprised to find Harry waiting for him on the steps of Hogwarts. 

"How much did you hear?" Harry was thankful that Severus had taught him how to calm down his thoughts and anger over the summer holiday in the hopes of getting Harry to become better at the mind arts.

"All of it. I had been watching Weasley when I saw you lift your head up. I cast a quick listening charm on Granger and heard it all." Severus didn't want to get too close to Harry and give their game away.

"He is going to pay for this. They all are. I should have gone to Gringotts over the summer but I didn't want to take a chance that Dumbledore would discover the truth." Harry had Severus get his school supplies. 

Severus had actually gotten more than what was on the school list and wondered why Harry's list was so small. When he asked Harry about the short list of school supplies, Harry was confused. Harry informed him all of his lists were. Harry went to his trunk and pulled out the previous years' letters and lists. Severus took one look at the lists and groaned. He started to write out a list of books that Harry would need. Lady Longbottom had been present at the time. She took the list Severus wrote out and proceeded to Diagon Alley to get the books. Severus had been a regular visitor at Longbottom Manor under the guise of improving Longbottom's potion brewing skills. He was doing that as well as Harry's. "I wish I had encouraged the idea. I had no idea Dumbledore would ever do something like that." 

"I'm afraid, I didn't either." McGonagall joined them on the steps. "Let's find out how bad this is." 

Harry bit back a groan as Voldemort's laughter filled his head. "I knew the old goat wasn't so pure." Harry forced Voldemort out of his head. Voldemort only gained access because of Harry's strong emotions just like when Harry could invade Voldemorts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *= thoughts

Voldemort couldn't stop laughing. Harry inhaled and screamed at the laughter in his head. *Knock it off. I need to be able to hear what they are saying to me.*

*Relax, Severus and Minnie will make sure it is all returned. However, if you give me the address of the muggles I can handle them for you.*

*I'm not going to give you that information.* Harry felt a migraine coming on. "How about my parents' possessions?" 

"We will make sure it is all returned. We keep an inventory of all items withdrawn by anyone not related to the account holder." Sharpshooter pulled out a thick book. "This is the inventory of the Potter family vault combined with the other titles you hold." He flipped through the pages. "We have a few houses that are also listed as being used by others, do you want to evict those people also?" 

"What? Who?" Harry's calm left him completely heard the news. 

Sharpshooter didn't look at Harry. "We have two muggle addresses. One is #4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging in Surrey, England. The second is #6 Wisteria Walk, Little Whinging in Surrey, England. Three different houses in the magical world besides the regular family holdings which are all occupied but the cottage in Godric's Hollow which is leased to the Ministry as a tourist spot."

Harry's temper exploded as Voldemort started to laugh even harder when he learned the information. Severus forced a calming draught down Harry's throat as Minerva began to give orders getting everything returned. Voldemort slammed down the connection. Harry groaned at the slamming of Voldemort's shields. "I want it all returned, I want them all evicted, and I will take my titles, today. If the muggles want to buy the homes they will be given the option but the offer is only good for two days. If my relatives are abusive toward anyone, remove the offer and evict them." Harry was hoping it would save them from Voldemort. He expected his uncle would have a fit and be forced to be evicted today which might save them. "You-Know-Who will go after my relatives." Harry felt a bit better about warning the goblins, Severus, and McGonagall about Voldemort.

"We will warn them." Sharpshooter was filling out paperwork as he spoke. "Most of the items will be returned today. How long do you wish to give those who owe you money?" 

Harry growled he flashed back to Granger's confession. "Two weeks tops. The sooner the better. Charge interest for each month they have borrowed from me." 

"Our usual rate plus .5%. We will charge for the lack of rent on all of the homes." 

"What? My relatives haven't been paying rent?" 

Voldemort was back inside his head with some nasty comments about muggles. *Go away.*

*Stop allowing your emotions to get the better of you. This kind of stuff is just delightful.* 

Harry could hear the manically glee in Voldemort's voice as Voldemort flashed images of his fat uncle and cousin. Harry focused on his shields and slammed them down on Voldemort hard, hoping he gave the man a headache. Severus' lessons had worked well until he lost control of his emotions today. "What do I need to sign?" 

Severus gave Harry a curious glance and realized what happened. "It's all set. There is no need to sign anything since it was all done illegally and if it ever gets brought to the attention of the Ministry, we have memories and witnesses."

"It won't erase Albus' attempts at guilt and trying to get you to fix things the way he wants." McGonagall wasn't sure what to do about Dumbledore. "If You-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named wasn't around, I would encourage you to press charges but I'm a bit fearful of what he would do if Dumbledore were arrested." 

"I could care less if he was arrested right now. However, yes, He would take great pleasure in Dumbledore's arrest." Harry looked at Severus. Voldemort was a big concern for them since Severus and Harry would have to marry because of Dumbledore's law. "Keep me informed by sending updates to either Professor Snape or McGonagall."

"Certainly. I will send an envoy of goblins to the muggle world after I escort you out of Gringotts." Sharpshooter rose and escorted them out of Gringotts.

_________________________________________________________________________________

 

Harry headed up to the Gryffindor common room when they returned as Severus and McGonagall needed to speak. Harry was hoping that Granger and the two Weasleys weren't in the common room. Tomorrow was the ceremony and after Granger's outburst today, Harry was expecting a lot of questions and he wasn't disappointed. Most of the questions were regarding Granger's spilling of the truth. Once everyone was bored and moved onto a different topic, Harry and his friends disappeared and headed to the ROR. 

Harry was finally able to relax. "It's been a long day." 

"It will even longer tomorrow. Dumbledore is going to make a huge celebration of tomorrow's marriage market." Lavender sighed. "I hope I don't get stuck with someone I can't stand." 

"I believe most of us are hoping that. Not all of us are as lucky as Harry and Neville." 

"I am set too." Dean grinned. "Luna might have an idea of who you will be matched up with if you ask her." 

"She knows." Neville laughed. "It's not going to go the way Dumbledore wants is all she has told me so don't ask her as I think she won't tell you. She is looking forward to tomorrow." D

Harry knew how much fun Luna would have. She liked to see people like Dumbledore have his plans ruined while watching the joy on others faces. "We need to set up a schedule for training. One for us and a separate one for if we have Granger and the Weasleys who want to attend. I was thinking for the classes if each week one of us taught the different spells from wherever they got the books from." 

"It would give each of us time to master the spells before teaching them without overloading one or two people." Neville liked the idea. "It would also enable all of us to keep up with our studies." 

"Yes. Severus has agreed to help train us and provide assistance with potions outside of the classroom. He can't do it in a classroom due to the Death Eaters who might be around." 

"He helped me a lot over the summer. My grandmother is going to claim she hired a tutor to explain my improvement." Neville wasn't afraid of Severus any longer but he also knew he would have a role to play just like Harry. "We might have some adjustments to make after the ceremony." 

"Harry, are you still going to side with Dumbledore? I know you won't be siding with Voldemort." 

"I won't side with either of them. I was thinking of creating a third side. We won't be able to meet tomorrow night after the ceremony since we have no idea how long it will last but I am willing to bet Dumbledore will want to make a show and have me go last. He is hoping I will marry Ginny Weasley." 

The group laughed. "We have no classes tomorrow and the ceremony doesn't start until seven. How about we have a picnic by Black Lake. If we invite all of those who we know aren't with either of the two rulers of each faction, we might recruit more." Lavender suggested. 

"Let's craft a list." Seamus looked at Padma, well, he hoped. "Padma?" 

"Yes, it's me. I wanted to be in the dorm room when Granger returned. My sister really can't stand her and has a harder time getting information out of her." 

"Parvati gets into debates with Granger. Granger gets annoyed and storms off." Lavender always encouraged the debates to get Granger away from their dorm so they could have some peace. 

"Granger is going to want to run the second group for training. We should have a list of spells for her to research." Dean looked at Neville and Harry. "We will need to find something to keep the two Weasleys busy too." 

"I'm not worried about Ginny, she will have a boyfriend if she doesn't have one already. Weasley is going to be an issue unless we have something for him to do. Quidditch might be an option. He is now the Quidditch captain and if we complain about how bad the team is, he will want to increase the practice times." 

"We won't win no matter what he does. He will let the power go to his head and won't care about the team as long as he or his sister looks good." Dean dramatically fell back onto the pile of pillows behind him. 

"It will shut him up regarding Harry's fame. If I hear about how someday he will be famous because of Harry, I think I will be sick." Seamus pulled Dean back into a sitting position. "It might be a good idea to schedule our training sessions at the same time as the Quidditch practices." 

"It would be easy to arrange. I'm sure we can get Severus to assist us in the schedule. We will just have the Slytherin team practice at those times. It will provide cover for Severus disappearances as well." Harry had missed his friends over the summer. Harry leaned forward a bit. "What have you learned over the summer? The latest rumors. What did you learn in the common room while I was at Gringotts."

"What did you learn at Gringotts?" The group countered. 

Harry provided them with basic details. "Dumbledore isn't going to be happy with me and I'm sure I will hear about it tomorrow."

"We are sure you will get it from all of them tomorrow." The group felt bad for the situation that Harry would have to face tomorrow but they also knew it was another step away from Dumbledore or Voldemort controlling their world, from them destroying their world. 

"Tomorrow is going to be a very interesting day." Neville summed it up. "Luna did promise we would like the results but not everyone else." 

Harry laughed. "Give your future wife a kiss on the cheek for me."


End file.
